LIBERTY COUNTY, Texas — A woman who was kidnapped at gunpoint in Liberty County has been found safe, but several states away.
The Liberty County Sheriff’s Office said the Cook County Sheriff’s Office in Chicago, reached out at 2 a.m. saying 32-year-old Erika Rios Valdez and the man accused of taking her, 38-year-old Abel Fajardo, had both been found.
Valdez was not hurt and Fajardo was arrested.
Cook County deputies also said a firearm had been recovered from Fajardo.
Authorities had been searching for Valdez after deputies say she was kidnapped at gunpoint by Farjardo in north Liberty County Tuesday night.
Liberty County deputies said Valdez was taken by Fajardo around 9:30 p.m. from a home on CR 3404 in the Plum Grove area.
Witnesses told investigators that Valdez was in the process of parking and unhooking a food service trailer when Fajardo drove up and forced her into his vehicle at gunpoint.
As Fajardo sped away from the area, Valdez gave chase in his vehicle but eventually lost sight of the suspect’s truck, deputies said.
Liberty County deputies said there are very few details on exactly where Fajardo and Valdez were located in Illinois or which agency actually made the arrest.
Fajardo remains in jail in Illinois. Valdez is staying with family members in the area and is awaiting a flight back to Liberty County to rejoin her family there.